Page 124 - Biorefinery 2030 Future Prospects for the Bioeconomy (2015)

92 4 Prospects for the Bazancourt-Pomacle Biorefinery Between Now and 2030

– Current plans include a study of the potential for the development of cattle
breeding in Champagne Ardenne, in addition to cereal and sugar beet activity.
For some farmers, including Mr. Olivier de Bohan, who is also President of the
CRISTAL UNION Cooperative, breeding remains a significant activity.
– Developing the anaerobic digestion of organic farm waste, as currently practised
in Germany is also being studied. 10 Although requiring significant financial
investment, this practice contributes to the farm’s income or to its financial
equilibrium in the same way as a circular economy or a renewable energy
source.
– The possibility of planting new varieties to take advantage of changing agricul-
tural production prices varies could be tested by the experimental farm and made
available to farmers with the support of other actors in the sector.

The same intensive research could also continue to optimise the biorefinery’s
integration with its downstream value chain.

4 Potential for Integration with the Downstream Value
Chain

One of the strengths of the Bazancourt-Pomacle biorefinery is its proximity to
biomass resources, but one of its weaknesses is its relative remoteness from the
downstream value chain. There are no oil, chemical, automotive or textile industry
facilities within easy reach of the biorefinery (less than 30 km). The biorefinery’s
actors need either to attract such firms to the area or to move “down” the value chain
themselves. To attract them to the area they need to make land available and target
potential candidates. To move down the value chain they need to develop new
activities outside their traditional field, such as creating their own distribution
network.

4.1 Land Available for New Manufacturing Facilities or
Biorefineries

Land is available for new factories or biorefineries to complement the existing
biorefinery close to the current site (2 km) in the form of a business park promoted
by the Reims and Epernay Chamber of Commerce and Industry: Parc des Sohettes
Val des Bois. This park, whose total area could rise to nearly 190 ha, includes 60 ha
directly adjacent to the biorefinery, dedicated to high and medium-high technology
(c.f. Fig. 4.2).

10
It should be noted that the German anaerobic digestion model uses significant amounts of whole
corncobs. The French model would look to digest primarily organic waste.